Beer: Reviews & Ratings

Reviews by marcobrau:

Say what you will about the French, but this is a very tasty beer. Presented in a 750ml brown corked bottle with an interesting silk-screened image of what looks like a Viking. A sort of Biere de Garde tasting artisanal pale ale with a full head that falls leaving some wonderful lacework. A very soft malt-accented aroma with some honeyish notes. There's a sweetness that is balanced with some interesting anise-seed flavors alongside a soft nutty flavor. Pine nuts perhaps? A light phenolic character combined some delicate tartness that exerts itself towards the finish adding some rusticity. The finish is softly dry. I know I keep calling this beer "soft" but it is almost fluffy in its mouthfeel. If every a beer were to be fluffy, this would be it. Definitely worth seeking out. (785 characters)

More User Reviews:

Presentation: 750 ml brown beer style magnum that is corked and caged. Raised glass around the base of the neck is of an old world Brewmaster stirring in the mash. A freshness date is on the back label.

Appearance: Medium golden colour with a soft pillow like white lace that keeps its density as well as leaving trails of lace.

Smell: Sweetish bubblegum and cotton candy maltiness, a complex malt in the nose goes a bit lemony with trace husk and honey. Fresh baked shortbread comes to mind when a cookie like maltiness appears in the aroma.

Taste: Juicy body with a semi aggressive carbonation that relies on smoothness in the mouth feel also. Sharpness of the carbonation helps to intensify the medicinal character this brew lays gently on the palate. Raw honey and lemon zest add a quick earth, sweet and tart blend. Rich earthy tartness with anise and pepper quench the thirst. On the sweet side though well balanced which enhances the drinkability, hops are at a perfect level with a soft and even bitterness that play both spice and herb to make things interesting. Light residuals in the finish of a drawn-out sweetness, medicinal phenols and a leftover hop twang.

Notes: Rich and incredibly complex, French farmhouse all the way. Seven malts were used to brew this beer, this ale seems want to show off all of them at the same time. One of the better beers I have ever encountered in my life. (1,413 characters)

Smell is grassy and perfumed with the smell of flowers with a solid malt/grain/honey aroma.

Taste is sweet and malty with an earthy flavor to it. Distinct spice flavors are in this including mint, pepper, lavender, and grain.

Mouthfeel is good.

Hard to compare this to all the hoppy monster beers I have been drinking, this is more refined and laid back brew, A "Classical Concert "compared to all the loud Hoppy "Heavy Metal" brews I have been drinking. Wonder why this isn't in the top 50? (531 characters)

An Englishman drinking a French Beer? A rare event, so enjoy it whilst it lasts.

Comes in a brown glass 750ml bottle  with a black and gold oval label depicting a winged helmeted Viking?  Well, I suppose the French do tend to get their history mixed up occasionally. LOL.

However, even as the Anglophile arch-enemy: for me, Brasserie Castelain represents all that is good about French beer, but as an Englishman I will stop short of saying that about France of course.
The beer pours a hazed and infused golden color, as turbid as French politics. The nose is absolutely stupendous. Huge malt, grain and bready dough odors invade the nose with some hops. I do not think that I have ever smelled a beer like this before. Highly malty yet with a biscuit dimension that reminds me of McVities Digestive biscuits mixed with a restrained raisin and banana fruitiness. Wow. Quite Amazing! Immensely frothy crusty white pillowy head that laces well.
An incredibly malty and complex beer  I suppose it should be, because it proudly announces that it contains 7 different malts. Yet this is no mish-mash, it remains a well-balanced, easily drinkable beer that surprises. The initial refreshing tastes are of a grainy malt dominant beer, that has a soft under belly, a fruity middle with banana and fruit tendencies. It has an almost Fruit-Wheat Beer character. Mind blowing, this is a very accomplished beer, incredibly complex but highly drinkable.

A filtered, but unpasteurised, bottom fermented beer, that was originally brewed for a now-long gone Brew Pub called Brasserie de St-Amant; Castelain picked up the mantel and continued to produce this fine beer when the Brew Pub closed in the early 1990s.

Very Different and Quite Unique  not bad for a French Beer. For me, this is one of the very best beers to come out of France (Hell, that hurt me to admit that).

Note to Frenchies: Xenophobic tendencies illustrated, or perceived, in this Review - are just exactly that. Laugh, or die a seriously sad person! (2,034 characters)

Damn. I just got back from lunch at a little French bistro down the street. In addition to the usual suspects, this bistro offered 750 ml bottles of Korma Blonde. I've seen is in shops numerous times but never had the urge to pick it up. That changed today. It's a nice looking yellow with just a trace of peach and a fat white head. The smell is earthy but just a bit sweet. The earthiness also really comes through in the flavor, along with a bit of candy-like sweetness. It sounds like an odd combination, but it comes together very nicely. Drinkability? I didn't want to stop after one 750 (but I did). It paired very nicely with Croque Monsieur and Pommes Frites. (668 characters)

Wow...I had to actually get out of the Hot Tub to review this beer...It is Wonderful! This beer has a very nice golden color which is slightly cloudy. Head retention is good. Leaves nice lacey proteins on your glass. Smell nice Belgian estery smell with notes of hops. Bubble Gum? Tastes absolutely wonderful...body is med-light. Starts out slightly sweet and very slightly spicy...finishs impressively smooth w/ light hoppyness and fruityness. WOW...Castelain has really produced a very special beer! (501 characters)

Hazy tangerine. A minty & herbaceous scent is noticable first in the nose, followed by a hint of white peach, barnyard and honey. Slight sourness in the flavor (which was present in the aroma as well) along with that cloying and sticky mouthfeel that is present in a lot of French beers in this style. Hints of grass, hay and spoiled pear are present as well. Fizzy, yet creamy. Not bad and the aroma is particularly pleasing. (426 characters)

If anyone is looking for me I'll be in French Flanders. Kicked back with a loaf of crusty bread, some soft bleu cheese, A pet goat named Pierre, and a glass of Korma Blonde Ale.

Corked 750. Pour this one easily. My usual healthy pour created a head that rose a full inch above the glass rim and in the end I was left with a perfect marshmallow ball of foam. Slightly hazy pale yellow cast. Nose is malty musty and hints of spice. Malt sweetness with an underlying earthy, oaken flavor is balanced perfectly with a mildly clean hop finish. Introduce this to your wine drinking friends and force them to tell you truth when you inquire about the depth and complexity of flavors as compared to their favorite wines. Quality, indeed! (733 characters)